Repeated treatments end up costing them money – often hundreds and hundreds of dollars. The price families pay isn’t limited to a red, burning scalp that has been repeatedly exposed to pesticides. “We’ve helped people who have used over-the-counter or prescription treatments repeatedly to the point where they’ve ended up with burns or sores on their heads,” Garcia said. Garcia’s experience working with families in the Rochester area support the institute’s concerns. The organization encourages natural treatments for lice instead. There’s a risk of poisoning if products are overused or misused.As lice become resistant to insecticides, the chemicals are less effective.You’re exposing the family’s skin, eyes and lungs to potentially hazardous chemicals.Garcia cites information from the Pesticide Research Institute on the risks of using chemical treatments: “Is that really what you want to use on your children’s hair and scalp?” “Some of these treatments contain three times the amount of permethrin than in a can of Raid,” said Renee Garcia, district manager of Three Blind Lice, an in-home lice removal service in the Rochester area. One local lice treatment expert is taking a stand against all chemical treatments, though, especially when it comes to children. Prescription medications that rely on stronger chemicals such as benzyl alcohol, ivermectin, malathion, and spinosad remain effective, according to WebMD. More specifically, the study revealed that the new “super lice” have genetic mutations that protect them from permethrin, an anti-parasite chemical common in popular OTC lice treatment brands. The 2015 study results show 100 percent resistance to pesticide treatments in 25 states and partial resistance in four states, including New York. A recent study led by Kyong Yoon, an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, reveals that lice are now resistant to common over-the-counter (OTC) treatments in more than half of the country.

Shampoo burns scalp